Leo Perales planning November bid for Kennewick City Council

Leo Perales is planning a November bid for Kennewick City Council.

The 29-year-old Kennewick civic leader unveiled his campaign’s Facebook page late Friday afternoon.

Perales plans to make an official announcement in a couple of weeks, he said, but he intends to run for the seat presently held by Councilman Bob Parks, who isn’t seeking reelection to the at-large position representing all three wards.

The councilman and the civic leader share a stormy past after Parks re-posted an internet meme last year on his personal Facebook account, expressing support for President Trump’s planned border wall.

Since then, the pair pushed for a resolution declaring the city an “inclusive community.” The measure ultimately failed to receive a vote.

Candidate filings start in roughly a month for the November election, and four Kennewick seats can be contested.

If he wins the seat, Perales wants to stress community safety and work to attract more industry to the city, he said.

“We need more jobs. We can’t rely on Hanford forever,” he said. “I want to see the expansion of the convention center.”

Perales serves on Benton County Planning Commission and the Kennewick Housing Authority, He has experienced the issues people in the community face, he said.

“I went out of my way to understand issues affecting the community,” he said. “I can hit the ground running as soon as I get in there.”

He also said his youth will add a needed dimension to the City Council.

This story was originally published April 14, 2017 at 7:52 PM with the headline "Leo Perales planning November bid for Kennewick City Council."